Lifeu Ishtene is refreshing!

Read this article in Kannada here.

'Refreshing' - if Lifeu Ishtene has to be described in a single word. Directorial debut by Pawan Kumar entertains, makes you laugh and introspect too!

Contemporary : Movie portrays the current generation in a precise way. Audience can easily relate to the movie since many scenes are based on their life or of their peers! Director Pawan Kumar also knows where to put breaks too! I can not remember any other Kannada movie, which has shown the present youth, their confusions the way Pawan did. Well, hero's parents too are not stereotyped. They have changed. Now, you say that it is a new age movie. There is also attention to details - just to give an example - the reception party scene looks so authentic(thank god, there is no Kalyana Mantapa scenes added!).

Wit and Fun : Witty dialogues form the essential part of the movie and then there is Satish Ninasam, playing brilliantly the role of Vishal's(Diganth) friend to guide our misguided hero and make you laugh. Raju Talikote too adds his flavour to the humor. Sindhu Loknath and Samyukta Hornad(daughter of Sudha Belawadi, who played the role of Ganesh's mom in Mungaaru Male) sizzle on screen. Diganth as a confused youth plays his role well. "Film in film" - clippings of films shown in this movie stitch well - which avoids unnecessary talk!

Rewind and Forward : Many of us would have got bored with the flashback shown in movies. Here though the same trick is employed, flashback is not sequential. Instead it switches back and forth. With Diganth becoming narrator for some time gives a break from that monotonous way of rewinding life. Childhood memories of the protagonist makes you go back to innocent school days. This is also one of the highlights of the movie.

Audio Visual Treat : Good cinematography with excellent screenplay make the movie a worth watch. Songs shot in Ladakh are a visual treat and what to say about Dubai's beautiful locations. Simply awesome. Not to forget our namma Bengaluru which itself is shown beautiful on screen. Choreography for some melodious songs go on familiar lines. Also, I am wondering what happened to the contest for lyrics for the tune provided in the audio CD of the movie!

Facebook : Just like how Facebook has become integral part in our lives, it forms the core part of the movie too. In the final scenes it is more evident. It goes to show how our lives have changed in this information age.

Paradigm Shift : Indian cinema has come of age with Bollywood making some brilliant efforts at finding meaning in life through its movies and with this movie, Kannada cinema is following suit. On a different note, though the maker has not tried to convey any message, some may feel so in the climax. But this should be looked as circumstantial inference than a generic one! I would also like to see this as life's dualism or dvandva - which path to choose - and this continues throughout one's life!

Review by Sandeep aka Shande - www.naanushande.com

Jokulatike - A Commendabale Effort

After watching the Tulu play, Gopala Ee Paar Bala at Townhall, Bangalore on 7th August 2011, I bought the DVD of Jokulatike, a Tulu tele film, primarily because of the star cast - Naveen D Padil, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor and Aravind Bolar, prominent names in Tulu theater. Well, Jokulatike did not disappoint me.

Picture Courtesy : Daijiworld.com

Directed by Sai Krishna M and produced by Ahalya productions, Jokulatike is a well made tele film. Sai Krishna M, who had acted in ace film maker Girish Kasaravalli's Kannada movie, Gulabi Talkies, does a neat job here. One should also applaud for the production value of the film.

Story revolves around the real estate agents in Mangalore. Ashok(Bhojaraj Vamanjoor), Ashraf, Allwyn(Aravind Bolar) are childhood buddies. They are into real estate business to make some quick bucks. How they outwit one another to get that elusive deal forms rest of the story. Naveen D Padil plays the role of a don with a heart of gold. Dialogues and sequences leading to loads of laughter make it a commendable effort.

So, do pick your DVD of Jokulatike soon.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara : Film Review

Simplistic but a very engaging film - this is my one line review of ZNMD. No extraordinary dialogues, no extraordinary sequences either. One can easily connect to the characters and the situations they are in. That is the precise reason why it has set the cash registers ringing at the box office.

Crux: Three friends (Hritik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akthar) are on a bachelor road trip in Spain. In the three week long trip, how they discover themselves forms the crux of the story. Not to forget the fun part along which keeps your funny bone tickling.

Picture Courtesy : nowrunning.com

Screenplay : Seems like bollywood has moved on with its stereotypes. There is more talk through gestures. Less dialogues give more time for the viewers for the introspection of a scene. Even in introducing - deep sea diving, sky diving and bull run, which is somewhat alien to the Indian audience, Zoya has consciously not put the rules or the jargon which might have made the film boring.

Conquering Fears : On a philosophical note too film scores high. Conquering one's fears, looking for meaning in life - if it sounds too heavy to digest now, well, you will not feel the same after you have seen the movie.

Exotic locations in Spain add to the richness of the movie. On the whole, it is a well made movie. A definite watch for all.

Tulu Dramas in Bangalore This Week

Tulu drama fans in Bangalore have something to cheer about as there will be 2 Tulu comedy dramas staged at Town hall, Bangalore coming Sunday, 7th August 2011. Gopala Ee Paar Bala and Kala Kambula are the 2 plays directed by popular Tulu dramatist Devdas Kapikad. Tuluvere Chaavadi, Bangalore has organized the shows.
Name of the drama : Gopala Ee Paar Bala
Date and Time : Sunday, 7th August 2011, 1:30 PM
Artists : Ramaa BC Road, Bhojaraja Vaamanjur, Mahesh K Shaktinagara, Thimmappa Kulal, Satish Bandale, Shobharaj, Richard Pinto, Panduranga, Suresh Kulal BC Road, Sujata, Monica
Name of the drama : Kala Kambula
Date and Time : Sunday, 7th August 2011, 5:00 PM
Artists : Ramaa BC Road, Bhojaraja Vaamanjur, Thimmappa Kulal, Satish Bandale, Shobharaj, Richard Pinto, Panduranga, Deepak Rai Panaje, Suresh Kulal BC Road, Sujata, Monica

Playwright and Director : Devdas Kapikad
Music : Guruprasad Bayar, Varma Vitla
Make-up: Suresh Master, Naani Bantwal
Troupe Name : Chaa... Parka Kalavidaru

Venue for both the plays : Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall, JC Road, Bangalore

Tickets are priced at Rs.1000(entry for 2), 250, 150 and 100

For tickets you can contact the following numbers:
9741561897, 9845126989, 9449112306, 9449344484

Let us meet on Sunday for a laugh riot :)

Mahabalipuram Trip - Part 3 : Arjuna's Penance, Krishna's Butter Ball, Varaha Cave Temple and Tiger's Cave

Arjuna's Penance : The huge relief structure, Arjuna's penance is also called the Descent of the Ganga. Story from Mahabharata, where Arjuna performs tapasya(penance) to get Pashupatastra from Lord Shiva is depicted here. In addition, the story of Bhagiratha's efforts to bring divine river Ganga to earth finds place here.

Arjuna's penance, Mahabalipuram

Arjuna's penance is a structure measuring 30m (100ft) long by 15m (45ft) high, quite huge compared to human figure. Near to the Arjuna's penance, you can find the Krishna Mandapa. Walls of the Mandapa tell the story - how Lord Krishna lifted Mount Govardhana to protect the villagers when the rain god Varuna vented his anger by bringing incessant rains.

Lord Ganesha Temple, Mahabalipuram

Varaha Cave Temple and Krishna's Butter Ball : Moving on we spotted Varaha cave temple next. On way to cave temple, one finds Lord Ganesha temple, where unlike many temples in historic places, poojas seem to be conducted. But surprisingly, there was no statue of the god in the Varaha cave shrine. But one could find carvings of Varaha on temple wall. On the rocky hill nearby, Krishna's butter ball is a huge mounted rock, with virtually no support. People posing for photos as if they are holding it from rolling down was a common sight. Well, we did take our turn in doing so too! Down the hill, we found one more cave temple but dedicated to Lord shiva.

Varaha Cave Temple, Mahabalipuram

Tiger's cave : That brought an end to the visual treat we could have at Mahabalipuram town. But I had read in a travel guide about the Tiger's cave which is located 5 km before entering the Mahabalipuram town. So, I made sure to ask the driver to stop there. Apart from the cave, it is surrounded by trees, making it an ideal place for picnic.

Krishna's Butter Ball, Mahabalipuram

Chennai Bits : Don't know is it because of the part of Chennai we explored, I noticed only few big commercial complexes or modern glass buildings, a far cry from a city like Bangalore. Of the few, Hilton Chennai caught my attention for a while! Chennai traffic which greeted us on that day morning did say bye in the evening too, again in the same fashion - traffic jam. We had to get down from the Volvo bus we boarded to reach CMBT and walk to catch the KSRTC Corona to reach Bengaluru next day morning.

Hilton Chennai

Afterthoughts : After completing a series of posts on Mahabalipuram, I felt that any documentation on India's heritage site always leaves genuine readers wanting for more, purely because of the intricacies of architecture and not to forget the history and mythology associated with the place and the work of art. Here, I have tried to highlight only few aspects. If it arouses interest in the minds of readers about the rich heritage of India, I would consider my efforts fruitful. For more details on Mahabalipuram, click here. Also, another thought passes by - if Mahabalipuram trip travelogue has to be stretched into 3 parts and required as much effort, what it would take to document the vibrant Hampe(Hampi)? :)

Carvings on wall of Varaha Cave Temple, Mahabalipuram

Cave Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, Mahabalipuram

Tiger's Cave, Mahabalipuram

Sunset at Chennai

Oriyardori Asal - Film Review

Movies can be entertaining or thought provoking. Tulu movie Oriyardori Asal, falls into both the categories. So, it is clear that why it has drawn crowds in Mangalore and Udupi districts. Oriyardori Asal literally means one better than the other. The film is based on the Tulu drama of the 90's of the same name. Punch dialogues of the drama are part of modern Tulu folklore! Evidently, the film has been able to take full advantage of that.

Objective Note : Film begins with talks of highs and lows of Tuluvas, takes note of the people who have excelled for the right reasons and mentions few who have become infamous for wrong reasons. Also, it discusses the present challenges faced by Tulu Nadu, Tulu language not being included in the 8th schedule of constitution. Director of the movie, Vijaya Kumar Kodialbail has dared to present several issues upfront, which is a positive note for the marginalized linguistic community as well as for the coastal region. In his effort, he also makes a passing mention of the communal tensions marring the region in recent years.What to look out for : Needless to say dialogues are the most entertaining part of the movie. With the likes of Naveen D Padil and Aravind Bolar you are destined for full throttle of laughter all the time. Some of the dialogues and characters have been modified to suit the new age - like driver Babanna's never ending lines - Yaan panpun daada panda... (translated : What I want to say is..) during Bhoota Kola have been totally removed and replaced with his cell phone histrionics or say the character of coconut plucker Naathu who comes well dressed with a brief case to hold the coconut plucking tool! Film is also not devoid of glamour too as it has Ramya Barna of Pancharangi fame as heroine. Famous song from the original drama Bhageerathammana Per, Aitundu Ardhala Neer finds new tune here. There is also a song shot entirely in Mumbai, with lyrics in Tulu and Hindi with a Marathi line too - Sundar Sundar Amchi Mumbai shows Tulu dramatist's longing for Mumbai. Technically, I have no doubt in my mind to say that this Tulu movie is on par with the films made in Gandhinagar.

'Star' Cast : Kannada music director Gurukiran who hails from Mangalore makes a guest appearance in a song. Mr.World Raymod D'souza has a brief role in the film too.Thought provoking questions : An inept government body governing the city, leaders who are not ready to protect the fertile lands from polluting industries, deteriorating values among people - all come under hammer. High literacy rate and the presence of Tuluva people in prominent positions - have not ensured the constitutional recognition for the lingua franca of this coastal region. Though the film puts across these questions to the audience, treatment is superficial.

Asserting identity : Vijaya Kumar Kodialbail already said that he will announce the name of his next movie on the 100th day of the movie Oriyardori Asal. Nice to see such development for Tulu cinema which has only about 40 films to its credit. Apart from that, two other minority languages of Karnataka - Kodava and Beary are also finding their voice through cinema. Kodava movie - Jadi Male got released last year. Kannada actor Shiwadhwaj Shetty is directing the Kodava movie - Naa Puttna Mann. Beary language got its first film ever this year.

Going places : Encouraged by the stupendous success of the movie, Vijaya Kumar Kodialbail intends to release the movie in neighboring Kasaragod, of course Mumbai and Gulf countries, where Tuluvas have a good presence. Not to worry, film is going to be released in Bangalore too. As per the latest information, Oriyardori Asal will be released in Bangalore on Friday, 22nd July, 2011 at Gopalan Cinemas, Mysore Road (7 PM show).

Update - 25/07/2011 : As per the latest info available in media, due to technical reasons, Oriyardori Asal was not released in Bangalore on 22nd July 2011. Instead it will be released this Friday, July 29, 2011.

Update - 18/01/2012 : New Tulu film - Aamet Asal Eemet Kusal starring Naveen D Padil, Sai Krishna and directed by Ranjan Raghu Shetty will be released in the month of February 2012.

Happy viewing!